Ministry of Labour & Employment
Labour Minister Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar Gives Away Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar and National Safety Awards for the Performance Year 2017
‘New Offices of EPFO, DG FASLI & DG Mines will be Opened in J&K’, Says the Minister
Draft of The Code on Social Security to be Circulated for Suggestions Among Stakeholders Soon
Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar, Minister of Sate  for Labour and Employment gave away Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar  and National Safety Awards  for the performance year 2017 in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi today. These Award schemes are operated by the technical wing of the Ministry, namely the Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes , Mumbai - an attached office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister congratulated winners for their hard work and commitment towards excellence. Appreciating the role of DG FASLI in promoting safety for industrial workers, the Minister said that Ministry of Labour and Employment has decided to open the offices of DG FASLI and DG MINES in Jammu & Kashmir post revocation of article 35-A and 370. Also the office of EPFO will be opened in J&K and Leh to provide social security to the workers of these areas, Shri Gangwar added.
For the Performance Year 2017 a total of 197 applications were received from different industries out of which 28 awards have been conferred. These 28 awards are being shared by 131 individuals. For the Performance year 2017, the total number of NSA Award Winners and Runners-up in all the twelve schemes adds up to 130 , who have been selected out of 288 applications received under various schemes.
Talking about the upcoming initiatives of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Minister said that the draft of ‘Code on Social Security’ is ready and will be shared with stakeholders for their comments soon.
Background:
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has been operating the "Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar "  and "National Safety Awards " since 1965. These Award schemes are operated by the technical wing of the Ministry, namely the Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes , Mumbai - an attached office of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. DGFASLI renders technical advice/service to workers, their representatives & managements in factories and docks to make the industrial activities safe and to promote workers' health & well-being.
Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar 
VRP is awarded in recognition of outstanding suggestions given by a worker or a group of workers and implemented by the management during the previous calendar year resulting in improvement in quality, productivity, savings to the unit including savings in foreign currency and working conditions such as safety, health and environmental conservation in the industrial undertakings where "Suggestion Schemes" are in operation.
VRP is awarded in the form of cash prize and a certificate of merit in three categories: Class 'A' - Five awards of Rs. 75,000/- each, Class 'B' - Eight awards of Rs. 50,000/- each and Class 'C'- Fifteen awards of Rs. 25,000/- each. For the Performance Year 2017 a total of 197 applications were received from different industries out of which 28 awards have been conferred. These 28 awards are being shared by 131 individuals.
National Safety Awards 
The NSA is given in recognition of outstanding safety performance of industrial establishments, construction sites, ports and installations under Atomic Energy Regulatory Board  to stimulate and maintain the interests of both the management and the workers in accident prevention programs. The awards are given under twelve schemes, out of which ten are meant for Factories /Construction sites /Installations under AERB and two are for Ports. Under each award, a Shield and a Certificate of Merit is given to each of the Award Winners and Runners-up. The establishments are classified in different schemes on the basis of working of man-hours.
The criterion for presentation of these Awards is indicated as below:
- Lowest Average Frequency Rate over a period of three consecutive years ending in the performance year as compared to the National Average for that group of industries.
- Accident Free year based on man-hours worked during the performance year.
For the Performance year 2017, the total number of NSA Award Winners and Runners-up in all the twelve schemes adds up to 130 , who have been selected out of 288 applications received under various schemes.
The VRP and NSA awards work both as an impetus as well as a catalyst to unleash the latent and untapped potentials of the promising workers at the plant level while recognizing the excellent performance of the companies in preventing accidents and promoting safety at work place. These awards bring out hidden talents of workers in our country. The goal is to develop a culture of safety in our industries with simple inventions or modifications. We know that we are not alone in our goals, that without others we cannot succeed, and so by exercising these awards, we emphasise on nurturing the hidden talents of workers and organizations in our country. We as a nation want to enable healthy, active lives through our skills and knowledge, while also seeking reasonable limits to potential harms that ensure these lives can be lived unhindered, and unburdened by fatal and life-changing accidents. These awards stimulate and sustain the interest of both management and workers alike in accident prevention and safety promotional programmes.
The applications of these awards are invited through wide publicity all across the country. The applications thus received for VRP as well as NSA are adjudged by a Tripartite Awards Committee consisting of representation from employers' organizations, employees' organizations and Central/State Governments. This Tripartite Committee is constituted by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. Apart from the tripartite representation, there are also experts on the Committee from renowned Institutions, Universities and industry in the field of safety, health, environment, productivity and quality.